Pokémon Nuzlocke Novels: Ancient Scarlet
Chapter 14: Dress for Success
"Milo! It's all you!" Nemona cried out as Milo Terastallized Reggie, causing him to explode in a shower of fiery crystals. The Tera Fuecoco let out a growl as he faced down a strange floating Pokémon covered in green crystals. The three other members of the Crystal Containment Crew that were currently attempting to bring down the Tera Flittle standing in the center of the chamber redoubled their efforts.
Nemona had decided to tag along when Milo had told her he wanted to expand his team. The Champion decided to sit back and watch as Milo started catching his next batch of Pokémon, offering advice whenever Milo asked for her expert opinion. He had started out fairly lucky, encountering a Grass Tera Den and using Reggie to great effect.
One Tera-boosted Ember later and the Tera Flittle's crown exploded, allowing Milo to follow up with a Poké Ball throw and catch it. The teen walked over and regarded the Poké Ball with a small smile.
"Slowly rebuilding, teammate by teammate." Milo muttered under his breath before turning around and seeing Nemona jogging towards him with an excited grin.
"That was awesome! I don't usually mess with Tera Dens because I'm awful at throwing Poké Balls, but you're in your element!" Nemona praised Milo, who blushed at the compliment. The other three students who had been helping him take down the Tera Flittle all smirked at the exchange. Milo thanked them for their help, and accepted their rewards in return.
After Nemona and Milo crawled out of the Tera Den, the Galarian sent out his newly captured Pokémon and regarded the small floating creature with a smile.
He then pulled out his phone and accessed the Pokédex entry for the Flittle as it regarded him with curiosity. "Flittle. The Frill Pokémon. Flittle's toes levitate about half an inch above the ground because of the psychic power emitted from the frills on the Pokémon's belly. This Flittle is Female and has the Ability Frisk. Its Tera Type is Grass."
"That could be helpful. I don't have a Psychic-type yet." Milo remarked as he registered the Pokémon to himself. "Now the hard part. Naming her."
"That's the hard part? I love coming up with names for my Pokémon. It's really rewarding after the whole catching them part." Nemona remarked as she sat down on the grass, grinning at her rival and friend. Milo nodded as he considered it.
"I'm drawing a total blank. She's kinda dainty and pretty, so maybe a name that's pretty?" Milo remarked, causing the Flittle to let out a happy cry. "Good to know that she likes being called pretty."
"Fiona is a pretty name! How about that?" Nemona suggested, with Milo blinking several times in surprise. Mostly because he was shocked that his friend's first suggestion was a great name. Unfortunately another unwelcome presence agreed as well.
Considering how shit you are at naming things, maybe you should just field the names to Nemona from now on. Reggie and maybe Cocoa are just about the only names you've come up with that weren't lame as hell.
Milo growled internally but he registered the Flittle's name in his Pokédex and then thanked Nemona for her help. With that, the two students continued on their way back to Naranja Academy.
After defeating Katy, Milo and Nemona spent several days exploring the area around Cortondo as well as various landmarks and ruins in the area. Milo had gotten a crash course in history from the Champion-ranked Trainer as well. Nemona was more than happy to expound at length the various battles that happened just a few miles away from Cortondo, but thankfully always well away from the farming town.
Upon arriving at Naranja Academy, Milo scheduled himself for some of the upcoming classes, very much intent on becoming a more savvy trainer after his hard-fought win against Katy and the losses of both Pepper and Sparky. He decided a few weeks at school were in order so that such a series of mistakes never happened again.
Milo had calmed down significantly in the few days that had passed, but was still upset. It had really struck home how serious the situation he was in actually was. All it took was a simple mistake or oversight for him to lose a valuable ally.
Milo made the decision to enroll in both Battle Studies and Biology classes over the next few weeks, as well as ensure he was able to attend the online classes for both courses. According to Nemona it was how she stayed on top of her courses while traversing the Wilds of Paldea battling everyone she met and doing various errands for the Pokémon League.
After taking care of business in the Lobby, Milo quickly departed to go to his room for a shower and to unwind a bit, but not before promising Nemona that they would get some batting practice in later on. That made the Champion-ranked Trainer beam with excitement, and she practically skipped out of the lobby while Milo went to his room.
As for Nemona, she merrily made her way back to her own room. She had intended on making herself and her team a snack before taking a catnap. She unlocked her door and called out her entire team, who quickly assumed various positions of lazing around her room. Tornado received a head pat as his Trainer walked by, humming softly as she debated internally what she felt like making today.
Right before she could open her mini-pantry to see what ingredients she had available, Nemona's phone rang. As her Rotom Phone popped out of her pocket, she saw who was calling and immediately tapped the Accept Call button.
"Good afternoon, Champion Nemona. I hope you're faring well today."
Nemona grinned at the smooth and cordial female voice speaking from her phone. "La Primera! Yes, I'm doing well. Just got back to school with my friend Milo! He just crushed Katy in his Gym Battle, so we've been going over battle tactics on the trek back to Mesagoza!"
A soft chuckle was her response. "Naturally. I must admit, given the high praise you have for your new friend, I must meet him myself one of these days. It's good to see you assuming a mentorship role, Champion Nemona. Teaching is a wonderful way to not only help others grow, but ensure your own knowledge and skills blossom even further."
Nemona nodded at the nugget of wisdom. "Too true! It's pretty fun! But was there something you needed? I know you're swamped!"
"Yes. In two week's time, I'll need several Paldean representatives to join me at an international party involving delegations from Sinnoh, Hoenn, Galar, Unova and Alola. I was hoping you would consent to join me. As I understand it, there will be quite the Trainer presence there, including some current and former Champions."
"Of course!" Nemona agreed immediately, hopping on her feet excitedly. "I can't wait to battle them all!"
The woman on the other hand laughed at Nemona's enthusiasm. "I'd expect nothing less from you, Champion Nemona. Though I should warn you that this is a formal affair, and there will be a dress code. I know it's a lot to ask on such short notice, but you should acquire a formal dress for this occasion."
Nemona opened her mouth to immediately agree, but after a few moments thought the girl winced as she realized something. It had been almost an entire year since she had last gone on a shopping trip with her parents and maids, and as such her wardrobe was a bit out of date. Chiefly, Nemona was pretty certain that none of the immaculately tailored dresses she had at home actually fit her still. Especially since Nemona had gone through a growth spurt since then, and was at least three inches taller. She'd probably have to get something new.
Which meant that she'd either have to call some of her maids who worked at her villa to come all the way to Mesagoza just to help her get a fancy dress, which would be a major inconvenience to the people who worked so hard for her parents. She could quickly go home and achieve the same outcome, but that would be such an imposition on them that Nemona recoiled at the idea.
Or…she'd have to figure things out on her own. Which worried her because she wasn't the kind of person to really care about looks or appearances However, she knew that they were important for events like the one La Primera was asking her to attend. Nemona didn't want to let her down.
"Champion Nemona?"
The girl started, realizing she had been completely silent for several long moments in her internal panic. "I'd be more than happy to come along. I'll need to get a new dress for the occasion, but it shouldn't be a big deal."
"Wonderful! I appreciate your help on such short notice. Especially since this will cut a little bit of time out of your Treasure Hunt."
"It's all good! It'll be a nice breather before I come back and kick some butt! Maybe some time with foreign Champions might give me a bit of perspective on what my Treasure really is!" Nemona said brightly, sitting down on her bed.
A gentle chuckle answered her. "I certainly hope so. Director Clavell will be notified by the end of the day about the development. If you run into any issues, please let me know."
"Can do!"
"Farewell for now, Champion Nemona."
"Goodbye La Primera! See you soon!"
The call ended and Nemona's smile shifted into a grimace as she collapsed onto her bed. Beside her, Tornado the Tauros mooed gently, sensing his Trainer's mood. Nemona groaned and put her head in her hands as Thorn the Sprigatito hopped up onto her bed and nuzzled her. The young woman pulled the cat into a hug and let out another frustrated sigh.
"I don't want to let La Primera down, but I suck at stuff like this! I know a Champion needs to be prepared, but what do I do? I don't know what looks good! I haven't worn a dress in ages!" Nemona muttered as she closed her eyes, considering the issue. The easiest solution to this would be to just go into the city and get a dress, but Nemona knew next to nothing about fashion and she didn't want to look silly when representing Paldea at an international conference.
If only she could get a second opinion…it wasn't like she had any friends who could-
"Wait a sec. Milo could probably help!" Nemona realized, grinning to herself as she sat up. Thorn leapt out of her hands, tilting his head in confusion.
She quickly hopped to her feet and began to pace, already coming up with a plan. "Yeah, yeah! I'm sure he'd be more than happy to lend a friend a hand! I don't know if he knows anything about dresses, but he's a guy! All he'd need to tell me is what dress looks the best on me! Easy peasy!"
Nemona excitedly snatched her phone off the bed while Tornado snorted in amusement at his Trainer's shenanigans. The Champion-ranked Trainer called her friend, getting an answer almost immediately.
"Hey Nemona, what's up-Storm, stop bothering Reggie, he's sleeping!"
"I need a big favor, Milo! Could you help me with something out in the city in a little bit? I wouldn't bug you about it, but it's kind of important." Nemona asked, trying not to sound too desperate. Even though she knew Milo was basically her only chance at this point.
"Um, sure. I was just talking to Juliana to see if she wanted to meet up with me and you later on tonight for dinner or something. You want her to come too? I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping out with whatever you've got going on and we can hang out together later."
Nemona almost let out a cheer, but just barely managed to contain her relief and excitement. "Sounds great! The more the merrier. When can we meet up?"
Two hours later Nemona walked through the doors of a rather fancy-looking formal wear shop named El Mango Dorado. Milo followed behind her, feeling somewhat out of place as most of the outfits on display were well out of his price range. Sitting on his shoulder was Storm and Fiona, with Reggie waddling in alongside him.
"Whoa…isn't this a bit much?" Milo asked Nemona weakly, causing the girl to shrug. Milo shook his head and quickly texted Juliana the name and address of the store that they were in so she could find them when she was free. The other Galarian was currently running errands herself, though Milo hadn't inquired what those errands had been.
"Nah. There's a few stores like this across Paldea. It's owned alongside a ton of other apparel stores by some savvy businessman named Amancio Gaona. I even met him once! He was quite friendly! Oh, I also remember Father mentioning that Mr. Gaona had a kid who went to Naranja Academy a while ago…" Nemona mused for a moment before remembering why she was here and dashed to the counter to see if she could be measured for a few dresses requiring a custom order.
Nemona then flashed an official-looking card to the older woman at the counter, who's eyes went wide for a moment before she nodded and quickly escorted Nemona off to a curtained area so she could be measured.
Bet you wish you could see behind that curtain.
"Shut up, man. She's my friend. Even if I'm…interested in her, I'm not gonna be a creep about things like this."
Which reminds me. We should probably address the strange question of why Nemona spends so much time hanging out with you when she's clearly quite important to the school and as a Champion-ranked Trainer. Doesn't that come across as weird to you?
"That…did cross my mind once or twice. She's been nothing but helpful and kind to me, but it is kind of strange that she'd put so much time and effort to help me out as a Trainer. I really appreciate her, but it is weird." Milo thought, frowning as he truly considered it. "Hope her boyfriend isn't the jealous type."
Maybe she doesn't have any other friends?
"Impossible." Milo responded flatly, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "She's super nice and is really famous in this region, plus she's an insanely talented Trainer. No way in hell that she doesn't have other friends. I think she's just helping the new kid at school out and just likes having someone who doesn't mind indulging with her battle obsession."
"Okay, I'm going to come out. How's this look Milo?" Nemona's voice called out, cutting off the conversation. Nemona took that moment to step through the curtain, wearing a vibrant red dress with orange sequins running down the side like fire. Milo's jaw dropped at the sight of Nemona, who laughed nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, it's a bit much, huh?"
"Um…I like the dress itself, but it doesn't seem like your color." Milo remarked meekly after his brain started working again. Nemona nodded in agreement, running a hand down her side.
"I thought something similar. Red isn't a great color for me. I could go with orange, since that's the color of the school…" Nemona muttered the last part under her breath as she went back behind the curtain. Milo took that moment to smack himself in the face while the Voice chuckled.
You kids and your hormones. Never thought I'd be so glad to be just…well, whatever the hell I am.
"Wait, do you not know?" Milo asked, surprised by this admission. So far the Voice hadn't revealed anything about itself whatsoever. And of all the things to reveal, this wasn't what Milo was expecting.
Not really. My own memories are pretty scrambled, but things become a little more clear with every day. Most of what I know is what comes from a friend of mine.
"You have friends!?"
Yes, not that it should matter to you. Remember our contract and what dangers await you, Florian Caballero. Your last challenge resulted in a very sloppy battle. Should your remaining challenges go the same way, you will not survive our little game.
"Which is why I'm staying at school for a few weeks and pumping Nemona for strategies based on the team I have now. I understand the stakes…" Milo growled internally, though his annoyance stopped when he heard the distinct sound of cloth hitting the floor. Several mental images raced through Milo's mind as a deep blush crept across his face. The Voice snickered, but remained silent for several blessed minutes before Nemona came out from behind the curtains again.
Milo's brain froze yet again for several moments as he stared at Nemona, who looked a bit embarrassed in her current dress. It was a bit shorter than the last one and was jet-black. It was a smarter-looking dress in Milo's opinion, but not quite her. The Galarian said as much, trying to focus on staring her in the face without blushing too hard. Nemona nodded at Milo's feedback and returned to the dressing room. While Milo was distracted, Fiona floated away from him while Reggie walked towards some of the dresses, with Storm eye-balling them both with a soft chirp before flying off herself.
I cannot believe you're getting this flustered. You're a few years shy of being an adult and you're acting like this is the first time you've seen bare shoulders!
"Before Paldea, I didn't get out much. And that means interacting with girls my age besides Juliana, who's basically a sister to me. I think if I saw Nemona in a bikini, I'd probably pass out." Milo admitted ruefully, choosing not to dwell on how pathetic his social life was before Naranja Academy. "The fact that I get regularly invited to things is proof that Arceus is real and hasn't completely abandoned me."
Milo then hopped up from his seat and grabbed a panicking Fiona, who was getting chased by Storm. Milo frowned at the Wattrel, who had apparently been appointed the troublemaker of the team and returned her with a sigh. Milo walked back over to the benches and was about to sit back down when a familiar voice piped up.
"Umm…Milo? Can you give me a zip-up? I can't really reach from the back." Nemona said with a laugh from behind the screen. Milo went completely still and gulped nervously, hoping he had misheard her. "Sorry to bug ya, but these things have always been tricky. Can you give me a hand?"
Come on, kid! Get in there and help a friend out! Besides, you should learn how to do this now rather than later.
"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Milo demanded, still frozen in surprise at the request. Was she expecting him to go behind the curtain and help her!? She wasn't decent, was she!?
It means you'll be helping her OUT of the dress instead if you play your cards right.
Milo's face turned crimson at the suggestion, which wasn't helped when Nemona stepped out from behind the curtain to look at Milo mostly-wearing her dress. The Voice openly cackled at the teen, who had a deer-in-the-headlights expression.
Juliana chose that exact moment to walk around the corner, sipping from a milkshake before stopping dead in her tracks. She saw Nemona peeking out from behind a changing screen with a confused look and then noticed her friend's flustered expression as he stared at Nemona. The other Galarian teen suddenly smirked as she walked up and helped Nemona zip the dress the rest of the way up.
"Thanks Juliana! How's it look?" Nemona asked, stepping out from behind the screen. This dress was a bit more traditional and bright orange, though it was obvious Nemona couldn't really move that well in it.
"Nemona, you look awesome. Milo, do you want to keep helping or do you want to tag out?" Juliana asked with a waggle of the eyebrows. Milo scowled despite how badly he was blushing and shook his head.
"I'm fine!" Milo responded hotly, looking away from both girls as his face slowly began to return to normal. "Can you actually battle in that, Nemona? It looks good, but is it comfortable?"
The Student Council President frowned and tried walking around the store. She found that it definitely restricted her movement, which would be distracting in a battle. She wasn't one to stay totally still, after all.
"Good catch, Milo. Guess this isn't the one after all. Dang…Um, can I get an unzip?" Nemona asked, laughing awkwardly. Milo's face erupted bright red again while Juliana sighed, walking forward and dragging a surprised Nemona behind the changing curtain.
"Nemona, get back behind that screen before you give Milo a nosebleed and give me more blackmail material." Juliana said to the upperclassman while Milo took that moment to slap himself in the face before muttering a swear under his breath.
"God, everyone's trying to screw with me today." Milo muttered grumpily as he crossed his arms. Juliana emerged from behind the curtain, patting her friend on the shoulder as she sat down next to him with a wide grin.
"I just wish I had gotten a picture. Not only did Nemona look great, but you looked so flustered!" Juliana giggled before a soft growl alerted both teens to something glaring up at them from the ground. Milo glanced down and saw a small fox-like creature staring up at him expectantly. Milo smiled as he patted his leg, causing the Pokémon to let out a happy cry.
"Niles, hop up!" Milo said fondly as the Nickit hopped off of the ground and curled up into his lap while Juliana crossed her arms, pouting.
"I'll never understand why that little jerk likes you so much." Juliana grumbled as Milo pet the Fox Pokémon. Niles calmly stared back at his Trainer, enjoying the petting from Milo who smirked at the girl.
"Real recognizes real." Milo remarked, unable to help the smugness in his voice. And how could he?
Niles was Juliana's first Pokémon, but it had been a misguided group effort from both Milo and Juliana that resulted in the Nickit being captured while their families were on vacation in Wedgehurst. The two of them had been yelled at for almost an hour afterwards and they hadn't escaped the experience unscathed, but it was a testament to the stubbornness of both Milo and Juliana that they had succeeded on their own with no Pokémon to help and without knowing what they were doing.
Which made the fact that Niles listened and generally liked Milo more than his Trainer all the more annoying to Juliana.
Juliana rolled her eyes at the comment. "Whatever, man. So my big question is why does Nemona need our help with dress stuff?"
"The way she explained it is that she's helping out with a huge League function next week and she needs a nice dress. She's outgrown the stuff she has and she doesn't want to bother the maids she's got back home, so she asked me for a second opinion. I don't mind helping her out, but you're actually up-to-date on fashion stuff so I figured you could help me help her." Milo explained to his closest friend, who frowned at him.
"Sometimes I wonder if Nemona has any friends but you, Milo." Juliana said quietly, sitting down beside him. The Voice coughed loudly in Milo's head, but that only served to make him more concerned about Nemona considering this was the second person to point this out to him in less than an hour.
"What do you mean? She has you too." Milo pointed out, causing Juliana to sigh.
"I mean, yeah, but I only hang out with her when I'm hanging out with you. It's not like she actively seeks me out or anything. We're friends, but not anywhere as close as you and her are. Aside from me and you, who else does she hang out with?" Juliana pointed out, causing Milo to frown as he considered it. Now that Juliana had mentioned it, there were several times where Nemona had sounded almost uncomfortable when the topic of her social life came up.
"That doesn't make sense…Why would she not have friends?" Milo asked his best friend quietly, earning a sad smile in response.
"Because as nice as she is, Nemona is off-putting in a whole bunch of ways?" Juliana admitted, looking rather guilty when admitting it. "It's hard for you to tell, Milo, because you're still not great at the whole socializing thing. But to someone who's really outgoing and spends a lot of time with people, dealing with Nemona is exhausting. Which sucks because she's super sweet and I honestly want to be her friend. That's why I agreed to come out here in the first place."
"I just hate the idea that I'm the only person who enjoys being around her. Seriously, she has to have other real friends besides me." Milo muttered, leaning back in his chair as well and considering the issue. He then sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
"She might, but I kinda doubt it. The rumor mill at school isn't super kind to her." Juliana remarked, sighing as she considered the various rumors she had heard about the Champion-ranked Trainer.
"I mean, she's got her boyfriend at the very least. So that's something" Milo remarked after a long pause, shrugging his shoulders. Juliana stared at Milo with a bewildered expression for several moments before she suddenly realized what was going on.
Juliana grinned at her childhood friend and leaned back in her chair as well. "Dude…Nemona doesn't have a boyfriend. She's probably never had one."
"...what?"
Juliana snickered at the sheer shock in her best friend's voice, his face looking absolutely dumbstruck. She decided to explain by saying, "Yeah, she's single. She's mentioned it once or twice when she turned down some other new transfers who asked her out on a date earlier this year. It was like, a month before you showed up. Considering how high-profile Nemona is, if she had a significant other, they'd be the talk of the school."
Juliana then gave Milo a shark-like grin. "Which means, my friend, that you absolutely have a shot with her."
And that's what real friendship is all about.
"Alright, let's try this!" Nemona called out from behind the curtain, cutting off whatever response Milo had. Both Galarians looked towards the curtain as it opened, revealing a somewhat embarrassed Nemona.
The Champion-ranked Trainer had walked out in a forest green dress that matched the color of the highlights in her hair perfectly. It had some frills on the waist and shoulders, which were mostly bare and her left leg was visible from the knee down, but it was quite tasteful. Nemona walked towards them, smiling sheepishly as she did a small twirl. "What do you think?"
Juliana's eyes widened a little at the ensemble. All in all, the dress seemed to be made for Nemona. The Galar girl couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy at the older student and how gorgeous she looked. Juliana then glanced at Milo, who was staring at Nemona with a starstruck expression.
"Nemona…you're beautiful." Milo whispered in a dazed tone while Juliana burst into giggles. Milo caught himself and looked away, his blush returning in full force while the Voice cackled with delight inside of the boy's head. "I-I-I mean, it suits you! That's what I meant!"
Nemona beamed happily at the heartfelt complement, clasping her hands together. "That's the best reaction I've gotten yet! I think we have a winner! Juliana, what do you think?"
The other girl offered the Champion a thumbs up and a smile. "You look awesome. How does it feel to move around in it?"
Nemona walked up and down the store in the dress, and confirmed she had no problems moving around in it. After making sure she could incorporate a belt of some kind to hold her Poké Balls for battling purposes, she was happy to buy the dress and accessories that Juliana helpfully picked out for her. Milo allowed Juliana to take point, as he was scared he'd embarrass himself further in the shop and he was very happy to be out of the place when the trio departed.
Nemona happily treated her friends to a delicious taco dinner in eastern Mesagoza as thanks for helping her. Juliana continued to tease Milo about seeing Nemona in a variety of different dresses. Meanwhile, Nemona continually asked why Milo kept getting flustered about it and wondered aloud if her friend was feeling okay.
Milo continually distracted Nemona whenever that question came up, much to Juliana's disappointment.
The next day, Milo decided to take his team to the training yard and put them through their paces. He got Fiona used to the team and spent some time looking over his Pokémon's movesets.
Milo joined Juliana and her friends for a late lunch, which involved more talking than Milo would have liked but it was enjoyable regardless. Nalani, Kara and Sara all were eager to hear about Milo's battle with Katy. The Galarian admitted it was a sloppy battle, but he would be taking some time to buckle down and prepare for whatever challenge came next for him.
The girls agreed with Milo's plan, and Nalani even offered to show him some videos later that she used to watch back in Alola when the current Champion had first become popular. Milo took the Alolan up on that, and the group proceeded to watch several intense battles of Champion Sun facing off against elite Pokémon Trainers at the world-famous Battle Tree in Alola.
Eventually the group had to disperse, with the twins having night classes and Nalani wanting to do some shopping before it got too late. With a start, Milo realized that the sun was setting and that most of the day had passed with him just enjoying the company of Juliana and her friends.
"Didn't think we'd blow through the whole day. I was planning on seeing if any of the school clubs were looking for new members." Milo remarked, putting his phone back into his pocket. He had actually just gotten a text from Nemona asking about his day, and he had replied with a comment about seeking out the clubs and hanging out with friends.
"Ehh, they'll be there tomorrow." Juliana remarked, not looking overly concerned.
"I guess. By the way, your friends are really nice. Did you tell them to be like that?" Milo asked Juliana somewhat suspiciously. The girl rolled her eyes at Milo's paranoia.
"Nope. That was all you, Star Slayer. They're your friends too, you dork." Juliana said with a grin as they walked down the stairs to the main lobby. "The twins and Nalani think you're awesome. We must've watched your battle with Katy five times by now."
"Which I was meaning to ask about. How were you all able to see my battle with Katy?" Milo asked his best friend, who helpfully explained.
"The Pokémon League records and broadcasts all of the Gym Leader matches that take place in the region. If you have a paid subscription to the Paldea League website, you can watch them all for free. So we all sat down, grabbed some popcorn and watched your match." Juliana explained, grinning at her friend. "That Teddiursa was rough, but you managed to clinch the win with Storm. It was exciting!"
"Yeah, it was a thing alright." Milo said with a shrug, able to avoid Juliana's eyes by pretending to stumble down a step. He really didn't want to talk about battling Katy, and with any luck he wouldn't be losing another Pokémon ever. "I swear these steps are bigger than the others."
"Nope, you're just clumsy!" Juliana remarked, causing Milo to look at her with a scandalized expression so shocked that he almost fell down the steps for real. Juliana put a hand on her chest and began speaking in an even thicker Galarian accent. "Come now, Princess Fluffyflower, you must not make such a fool of yourself! Whatever shall your adoring public think?"
"Coming from you!? The Spaz Queen herself? The woman with the coordination of a concussed Doduo?" Milo demanded in an outraged tone as he and Juliana finally reached the lobby. Juliana held his gaze for a few moments before the two of them burst into laughter.
"It's a good thing there's no rules on being quiet in here!" called a familiar voice from somewhere above them. Milo and Juliana turned their heads and saw Arven waving to them from the third floor railing.
"Arven! You're back at school?" Milo asked, smiling up at his upperclassman friend.
"Milo! How's it hanging, bud?" Arven said merrily as he walked down the stairs, hefting his backpack over his shoulders. "And Juliana too? What are you my two favorite freshies up to?"
Juliana began to answer, but then paused and blinked slowly. Milo smirked at seeing his friend have a complete brain fart at the sudden question. "Uhhh…what were we about to do?"
"Brainstorm on how to take over the world?" Milo suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Arven while Juliana shook her head, though she was now smiling.
"Nah, we rescheduled that for next Tuesday."
"Ah, that's right. We should really get started on that, Juliana."
"Absolutely, but our schedules conflict sometimes. Ahh, such is life."
Arven chuckled for a moment before turning to Milo. "Anyways, I wanted to hold off until you got back to school, but I found a few interesting leads on the Stony Cliff Titan. I was hoping you were still down to help me out with the whole Herba Mystica thing."
Milo frowned, but considered it. He had been instructed by the Voice that the Titan that Arven had mentioned was next on his to-do list. An Objective that needed to be cleared on his journey, whatever that actually was. However, Milo was wary of dealing with anything else and wanted to be prepared for whatever happened.
The Galarian teen crossed his arms, thinking about it. "I dunno, mate. I was going to spend a few weeks here at school and study up on some things. Plus I wanted to catch some more Pokémon. If these things are real, then we'll probably be in for a fight."
Arven frowned, but nodded at him. "Too true. I've only got Munchy, my Skwovet, and that's it. I could probably benefit from adding a new member to my team myself."
That was when Juliana chimed in. "I'm surprised you don't have more Pokémon, Arven. You actually travel all over the place with just one? I've got three and I usually don't mess around in the Wilds all that much." Juliana remarked, gesturing to the three Poké Balls clipped to her belt.
Arven shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not that kind of Trainer, to be totally honest. I don't bother with the Gyms or any of that." Milo caught a flicker of emotion in his eyes before the older student hid it. Milo wondered, not for the first time, what the son of Professor Sada was hiding.
"Wanna roam around the wilds and see if we can find you a new friend?" Juliana asked, smiling brightly at Arven. The older student considered it, and was about to respond with a familiar voice called out.
"Heeeeey! What are you two up to?"
"Oh boy…" Milo muttered as he turned and saw Nemona jogging towards the group. Arven noticeably tensed and then scowled at Nemona, who pulled a face at Arven before turning towards her friends.
"Milo, I thought you were going to look into more clubs? Whatcha doing hanging around in the lobby?" Nemona said to her friend, who considered answering in a way that deflected from what he was actually up to. But then he recalled his earlier conversation with Juliana in the dress shop, and how he was likely Nemona's only true friend.
Milo knew that he couldn't lie to her like that.
"Arven wanted to talk more about the Titans. I think now that I've gotten some experience under my belt, I can help him look into those Herba Mystica things." Milo answered, causing Arven to look at him in shock.
"Huh? Wait, you're actually thinking about searching for those things?" Nemona asked, looking surprised before shooting a dark look at Arven, who weathered the Champion's ire with a bored expression.
"So what if I am? It's a free country. Are you still running around harassing anything with a pulse to battle you?" Arven shot back, causing Nemona to scowl at Arven.
"Harassing? I ask people to battle me and they say yes!" Nemona protested, causing Arven to roll his eyes. "But you're missing the point! You're trying to drag Milo into something that'll waste his time or get him hurt! You're being a poor role model for him!"
"Me!? A poor role model!? That's pretty rich coming from someone like you!"
"And what's that supposed to mean!?"
"Wow, they really don't like each other." Juliana muttered under her breath, taking a step back as the two upperclassman glared each other down. Milo silently agreed, and decided to finally interject between his two friends.
"How about we do some scouting instead?" Milo suggested, breaking up the argument and talking over the two other students. "Arven, we can head out and get familiar with the area and figure out exactly what we're looking for. Spend a few days training, maybe see if we can find any leads. We'll spend a few days out there, come back to the school and come up with a game plan for dealing with the Titan if we find any actual evidence it's out there. How does that sound?"
Nemona pouted, but she couldn't exactly object. After all, what Milo did in his spare time was entirely up to him. She had to respect that he was smart enough to know what he was doing, even if she didn't like it.
Arven was grinning excitedly and did a fist pump. "Yes! You're the best, little buddy! We can catch you some new pals and see if we can catch a whiff of that Herba Mystica! Hahaha!"
"I can't believe you're going monster-hunting, Milo. That's absolutely insane." Juliana murmured, crossing her arms and voicing her own concerns. "I know the Scarlet Book has some history to it, but there's no way those Herba Mystica things are real."
Milo shrugged his shoulders. "Considering recent events, I'm willing to give this a chance. There's been weirder things in the world that ended up being real. Why should these Titans be any different?"
"Especially since a certain asshole voice in my head is saying I need to look into this just as much as I need to beat the Gyms and deal with Team Star. I'm willing to bet Arven's not chasing shadows." Milo thought sourly, though in his head he was looking forward to something that wasn't an intense battle. After Katy, Milo was feeling less confident in himself than he was before. With any luck the two of them could find the herb that Arven was looking for and be on their merry way without a hassle.
"Well, as long as you're being safe..." Nemona grumbled before she glanced down at her watch and grimaced. "Unfortunately, I've got somewhere else I need to be right now. I only really had time to say hi, so I'll catch you all later."
Milo and Juliana bid their friend farewell while Arven rolled his eyes again. The two younger students turned to Arven who grinned at them both.
"Thanks for humoring me, Milo. I really owe you. But I'll get out of your hair, I know you were busy with something else. I'll text you when I'm ready to head out and we can compare schedules later." Arven said to Milo before looking at Juliana. "You're always welcome to tag along too, Juliana. The more the merrier, after all!"
"I'll think about it, Arven. Thank you." Juliana said with a smile as Arven grinned even wider.
"As thanks, I can make you two some awesome sandwiches while we're outside looking for our Titan. Picnics are always better with company!" Arven said as he gave them a thumbs up. The upperclassman then bid the duo goodnight, heading out of the front entrance of the school and leaving the two Galarians by themselves.
"I'm kinda shocked you're actually taking Arven up on his request. He's a friend, but that's still really weird." Juliana remarked with a frown as Milo crossed his arms, considering the situation carefully.
"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I only said I'd help him look. We can do some research, plan things out and see what we can turn up. Who knows, maybe we'll find something awesome. And if not, I was able to help a friend out. Either way, I'm going to get some more training in and catch some new Pokémon. Katy was way too close of a battle and I need more experience." Milo then sighed with annoyance, remembering the loss of Pepper and Sparky. He was mostly done feeling depressed about his mistakes during that battle, but he wasn't done learning from them. He wasn't going to get overconfident like that again.
"You sound fired up." Juliana noted with a small smirk.
"That's a word for it. You want to grab a snack from the school shop before they close? After that nonsense, I'm about ready to call it a day. We can look at clubs tomorrow." Milo said to his best friend, who promptly snapped to attention and delivered a military salute that would've made Lt. Surge shed a manly tear.
After acquiring some packaged peanut butter sandwiches from the school store, Milo finally got back to his room. After locking the door, the teen called out his team and collapsed into his desk chair.
"Who would've thought that finally having friends meant dealing with so much drama?" Milo asked no one in particular. Milo's only answer was a snort of amusement from inside of his own head, courtesy of the Voice, which Milo ignored as he grabbed his Nintendo Switch and began playing Breath of the Wild.
What else was better after a long day?
Milo's Current Party:
Reggie (Fuecoco) M - Tera Fire
Cocoa (P. Wooper) F - Tera Ground
Shelly (Shellder) F - Tera Fighting
Storm (Wattrel) F - Tera Flying
Fiona (Flittle) F - Tera Grass
Benched/PC Storage:
None
Graveyard:
Sparky (Pawmi) M - Tera Electric
Pepper (Maschiff) F - Tera Poison
That's all for now, everyone! We've got two more catches and more school shenanigans coming your way, followed by a Titan-sized showdown! Stay tuned!
Big shoutout to my reviewers since the last update, which includes BraviaryScout, and two Guest reviewers (that I'll assume is the same person, please correct me if I'm wrong) known as TheGuest and DaGuest. You rock and I appreciate your fantastic feedback!
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Take care and stay awesome!
Until next time, FlygonNick out!